According to Virtalis,

The Haption range encompasses a small, desktop device with a translational workspace within a sphere of diameter of 120 mm and rotational workspace of 35O in three directions. Top of the range is the Virtuose 6D35-45, which was designed for the 1:1 scale manipulation of virtual objects and has a massive transational workspace up to a sphere of diameter of 450 mm and can exert forces up to 35 N. All Haption products can be easily integrated into Virtalis StereoWorks installations, so that the Haption device is linked to 3D stereo projection in a fully tracked virtual environment.

Aside from engineering applications, Haption is finding new customers in the kinehaptic field where patients overcome their injuries by practicing their fine motor skills. Surgeons who need to stay within a tightly controlled operating envelope represent another important market for haptics. So do nuclear engineers, whose complex operations when dealing with several robots carrying out specialized dismantling and decommissioning work, have found themselves benefiting greatly from virtual force feedback. In hazardous environments, being able to create the physics of an object, practice manipulating it, optimize the movement path and then record that path, has proved to be invaluable.

If you want to check out the brochure for the Virtuose 6D35-45 device, here it is (.pdf)...

Haption company page...

The system's navigation coordinates are provided by the Patient Registration Mask, a device that was just recently given the 2008 Medical Design Excellence Award.

More from the product page:

The software is the critical link between the Navigation System and the surgeon performing computer assisted Sinus surgery and other ENT procedures. The iNtellect ENT Navigation software is the result of years of experience that Stryker software engineers have in creating surgical planning software with familiar, easy-to-use interfaces.

Key advantages include:

Precise Smart instrumentation

Available laptop navigation system and optional planning station

Unique perspective view to see 3-D image of patient anatomy

Advanced auto segmentation capabilities for tumors, skin, brain, vasculature, ventricle and other volumes of interest

Advanced features such as automatic image fusion between multiple CT, MR, CTA, MRA, fMRI,and PET images by one mouse click

Fully automated registration

Stryker camera technology

To learn more, check out this product brochure (.pdf) or head to the product page...

Sialo Technology, a company out of Ashkelon, Israel, has been given approval by the FDA to market its balloons for salivary gland endoscopy when removing gland stones. Aren't you gland?

Features of the device from the product page:

Emphasis is on the balloon's pushability, in contrast to other balloons, where emphasis is on flexibility.

Available in high pressure levels, 16 bar.

Available in 6 balloon lengths.

Maximum comfort for the patient: The presence of the drain is barely felt.

The balloon is inserted into the instrument channel of the set manufactured by:Polydiagnost Germany, Karl Storz Germany, and Millennium Devices U.S.A

The device already received the CE Mark in Europe.

More at Globes...

Product page: Sialo Dilatation Balloon ...

A quick look at Baha system:

The Baha system utilizes direct bone conduction, which allows the bone to transfer sound to a functioning cochlea – thereby bypassing the middle ear. This unique hearing treatment is the only system of its kind cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hearing loss.

One reason the Baha system works so well is due to its simple design. The Baha system combines a sound processor with an abutment and a small titanium implant. The implant is placed behind the non-functioning ear. Surgery is minor, and Baha recipients report a wide range of advantages over other hearing devices.

The Baha system, which is based on bone conduction, utilizes a titanium implant, which is placed in the skull bone behind the ear. An abutment connects the sound processor with the implant in the bone. This creates direct (percutaneous) bone conduction. In contrast, traditional bone conductors connect indirectly to the bone through unbroken skin (transcutaneous) and work by exerting pressure against the skull.

Direct bone conduction, provided by Baha, gives improved access to sound when compared to traditional bone conductors since sound is not weakened when passing through the skin.

Loyola news release...

Product page: The Baha® system...

Flashbacks: Medgadgeteer On The Frontier

With its self contained, patented LED-Light Engine, ENTity stands alone in the world of flexible endoscopy. By freeing the physician from the “tug” of light guides, external light sources and the need for AC/DC wall power, ENTity provides unparalleled portability and ease of use. ENTity, which has been several years in the making, is the brightest and lightest LED-illuminated endoscope available. This is all provided in a uniquely compact, ergonomically superior package.

ENTity can also be coupled to any standard video camera system or for better video imaging, such as Optim’s VideoDirect system, which will also be on display...

Other features include:

Less than 11 oz total weight

High intensity LED light source (5500 Kelvin/natural sunlight quality) for exceptional visibility

Eliminates need for separate external light sources and cables

Sleek Fully sealed and completely immersible handle

Variable light intensity; no bulb replacements required

3-year warranty on LED Light Engine

Two-way distal tip articulation, +/- 135 degree

3.6 mm insertion shaft diameter - 30 cm insertion shaft working length

"B" style eyepiece that can use standard camera coupler

Lithium Ion rechargeable battery

May be used left or right handed, thumb or finger actuated

Product page: ENTity NasoView...

Initial studies on the hybrid device suggest there is a synergistic effect achieved by maintaining the natural hearing and coupling it with the cochlear implant, particularly for distinguishing speech in noisy environments. The device both amplifies low frequencies and electronically stimulates middle and high frequencies.

The implant is specifically designed with a thin electrode to occupy less space in the inner ear. It is implanted by special surgical techniques to preserve natural hearing.

"What patients can hope to get from the investigational device is a significant improvement in the ability to understand speech, especially in a noisy situation," said Dr. Peter Roland, chairman of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at UT Southwestern.

The device is made by MED-EL Corp., which conducts the initial patient screening for the trial. The device is still investigational, so all of the potential risks are not known, Dr. Roland said. The most common serious complication is loss of what hearing is left in the ear that receives the implant. The opposite ear is unaffected. Significant hearing loss has occurred in 10 percent to 15 percent of recipients to date.

Press release: UT Southwestern testing new hybrid hearing device combining advantages of hearing aids, implants ...

Product page: The DUET speech processor...

Flashback: MED-EL Corporation's new Cochlear Implant System

Typically, anything that clogs the ear canal would trap moisture and pose an infection risk, but the Lyric is surrounded by a spongy material that allows moisture to escape. Because it sits so close to the ear drum, doctors say that it works more efficiently and that sounds are more natural because they don't have to be amplified as much.

When the Lyric's battery dies, the entire device is replaced. Patients do not pay for a new device every time; instead, they pay an annual subscription fee of $2,900 to $3,600 for both ears (less if the hearing loss is in only one ear). Insurance plans typically do not cover the cost of the Lyric, or any other hearing device.

A magnet is used to control the volume, turn it on and off and remove it when the battery runs out. It takes only a few minutes for a doctor to insert a replacement device.

More from the New York Times...

Animation showing how the Lyric works...

Product page: Lyric Technology...

Medtronic press release: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Approves Policy Statement on Micropressure Therapy for Meniere's Disease

Product page: Meniett Device

For the first two months, the music mix includes a noise, which some describe as water in a shower, to cover the tinnitus. In the third month, the shower sound is removed and patients are instructed to turn up the music just loud enough so the tinnitus is audible only during the quiet parts. The idea is the brain will be gradually trained to ignore the tinnitus. After six months, patients use the device as needed.

Cost, which includes the initial fitting and counseling on tinnitus management, ranges from $3,500 to $6,000 for the six-month treatment. It isn't generally covered by insurance.

The FDA approved the use of the device in 2005, and the company published its own study findings as to the effectiveness, but there is yet to be an independent assessment from a third party.

Product page: The Oasis™ device...

More details from the Wall Street Journal...

From the press release by Johnson Medtech:

Working with a team of experts from the University of Calgary and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA), Nanomotion of the Johnson Medtech network collaborated to implement non-magnetic actuators that enable the precision motion necessary for conducting microsurgical operations safely within the strong magnetic field of an MRI system. In the past, the magnetic nature of electric motors and their metal components restricted surgeons and surgical tools from the MRI environment, making motion impossible.

The neuroArm utilizes sixteen of Nanomotion’s HR2-1-N-3 piezo ultrasonic nonmagnetic motors, coupled with the company’s AB5 drive module. These motors cover six joints, all of which are rotary. Using the real-time visibility into the human body provided by the MRI, the sophisticated Nanomotion actuators in the neuroArm enable surgeons to manipulate tools at a microscopic scale and conduct surgeries that were previously difficult or impossible.

“Our design team overcame a number of challenges in building the neuroArm. One was the need for the neuroArm to operate in the strong magnetic field of the MRI, and with extreme precision,” said Dr. Garnette Sutherland, Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Calgary. “Nanomotion’s non-magnetic piezo ultrasonic motors enable the neuroArm to effectively conduct microsurgical operations within the MRI environment.”

In addition to the non-magnetic benefit of the ceramic motors, Nanomotion’s precision motion control abilities increase the granularity with which a surgeon can work, from within an eighth of an inch using the human hand, to within the width of a hair using the neuroArm. These sophisticated motors provide surgeons with unprecedented detail and control, enabling them to manipulate tools at a microscopic scale.

The video:

Press release (.pdf)...

Johnson Electric - JEMedtech...

Flashbacks: NeuroArm: Navigating the Future of Surgery ; NeuroArm Robot Promises to Revolutionise MRI-guided Neurosurgery